The kirk is meikle, but ye may say mass in ae end o’t; or, as I have received it in another form, “If we canna preach in the kirk, we can sing mass in the quire.”  This intimates, where something is alleged to be too much, that you need take no more than what you have need for.  I heard the proverb used in this sense by Sir Walter Scott at his own table.  His son had complained of some quaighs which Sir Walter had produced for a dram after dinner, that they were too large.  His answer was, “Well, Walter, as my good mother used to say, if the kirk is ower big, just sing mass in the quire.”  Here is another reference to kirk and quire—­He rives[144] the kirk to theik[145] the quire.  Spoken of unprofitable persons, who in the English proverb, “rob Peter to pay Paul.”

The king’s errand may come the cadger’s gate yet. A great man may need the service of a very mean one.

The maut is aboon the meal. His liquor has done more for him than his meat.  The man is drunk.

Mak a kirk and a mill o’t. Turn a thing to any purpose you like; or rather, spoken sarcastically, Take it, and make the best of it.

Like a sow playing on a trump. No image could be well more incongruous than a pig performing on a Jew’s harp.

Mair by luck than gude guiding. His success is due to his fortunate circumstances, rather than to his own discretion.

He’s not a man to ride the water wi’. A common Scottish saying to express you cannot trust such an one in trying times.  May have arisen from the districts where fords abounded, and the crossing them was dangerous.

He rides on the riggin o’ the kirk. The rigging being the top of the roof, the proverb used to be applied to those who carried their zeal for church matters to the extreme point.

Leal heart never lee’d, well expresses that an honest loyal disposition will scorn, under all circumstances, to tell a falsehood.

A common Scottish proverb, Let that flee stick to the wa’, has an obvious meaning,—­“Say nothing more on that subject.”  But the derivation is not obvious[146].  In like manner, the meaning of He that will to Cupar maun to Cupar, is clearly that if a man is obstinate, and bent upon his own dangerous course, he must take it.  But why Cupar? and whether is it the Cupar of Angus or the Cupar of Fife?

Kindness creeps where it canna gang prettily expresses that where love can do little, it will do that little, though it cannot do more.

In my part of the country a ridiculous addition used to be made to the common Scottish saying. Mony a thing’s made for the pennie, i.e.  Many contrivances are thought of to get money.  The addition is, “As the old woman said when she saw a black man,” taking it for granted that he was an ingenious and curious piece of mechanism made for profit.

Bluid is thicker than water is a proverb which has a marked Scottish aspect, as meant to vindicate those family predilections to which, as a nation, we are supposed to be rather strongly inclined.